Proceedings against a 43-year-old Frenchman facing charges of extortion before the Bruges criminal court are being fast-tracked. The suspect is part of the group of five people who dined extensively at an Ostend restaurant on New Year's Eve but failed to pay their bill of 533 euros. The investigation into the other members of the party is ongoing.
On New Year's Eve, a group of five friends dined extensively at a restaurant in the Langestraat in Ostend’s celebrated entertainment district. Three men, all Francophones were joined by 2 women. The 2 women left the restaurant during the course of the evening. Towards the end of the evening, the men simply told the management they could not pay the bill. The proprietors sent for the police. The police were already familiar with the members of the group following similar incidents.
The police took the three men in for questioning, just like on previous occasions. Both the police and the prosecutor's office now confirm that, after questioning, the prosecutor's office has fast-tracked proceedings against one of the men. ‘He’s a 43-year-old man, born in France but residing in Ostend. He could not dispute the facts and the damage is very clear. The man already appear in court very soon.’